Army Mascots of 1898

John Hartwell

Lt. Colonel
Forum Host
Joined
Aug 27, 2011
Location
Central Massachusetts
When war with Spain broke out in the spring of 1898, a convenient central point was sought as a rendez-vous for Regulars and Volunteers,before travelling to Florida to ship out for the Cuba and Puerto Rico. The location chosen was the Chickamauga National Military Park. Some 60,000 men passed through Camp George H. Thomas, and with them, inevitably, their company and regimental critters. The Cleveland Plain Dealer of July 17th, tells their story
Plain_Dealer_1898-07-17_17 - Edited.png

Plain_Dealer_1898-07-17_17 - Edited (1).png

Plain_Dealer_1898-07-17_17 - Edited (2).png

1557807590895.png

I looked through a lot of pictures of Camp Thomas in 1898,
but this is the only one of the "thousands" of four-footed
recruits I could find!​
 
I found a bunch of articles from the early 1880s telling how the War Department was cracking down:
pets.png
Turns out the "army pets" they were talking about were the favorites and relatives of well-placed politicians and generals who managed to get cushy army jobs with "big pay and few duties." It was sort of a military version of civil service reform.
 
Back
Top